The Brownwood City Council on Tuesday awarded an engineering and architectural services contract to Jacob/Martin for the Bennie Houston Center Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Non-Urban Indoor Recreation grant project.

Texas Parks and Wildlife awarded the City of Brownwood a maximum $1,500,000 matching grant for the Bennie Houston Recreation Center renovation project. This award is the largest grant to date received by the City from TPWD.

The proposed renovation to the Bennie Houston Center includes maximizing the existing floor plan to allow for a larger reception hall and lobby; new gym flooring and lighting; a kitchen with a serving bar, and prep tables; a multi-purpose room for study/tutoring or a classroom/game room; and new ADA restrooms facilities, and staff office.

Jacob Martin would provide services of schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding and award, and construction administration. Their design services will include complete onsite civil, architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and structural design and documentation. Geotechnical investigation would be a reimbursable expense and land/legal survey would be a time and expense service provided by Jacob Martin. They will also assist with bidding and award as well as obtaining a building permit and the Texas Accessibility Standards registration and plan review. They would provide construction administration services including submittal reviews, request for interpretation, supplemental information, construction observation, ensure compliance with design elements, and provide any additional coordination or design as needed during construction. Jacob Martin will complete all services listed above for a percentage of the cost of work as determined by a competitive bid, CmaR or negotiated proposal. All services discussed above would be completed for 8.5% of the cost of work which are eligible TPWD local match costs.

Council also authorized the purchase of the four trash trucks and one rolloff truck for Sanitation and one dump truck for Streets at a total cost of $1,997,432.62 from MHC Kenworth in Abilene through a Sourcewell Contract.

The cost per truck is:

• 3 – Scorpion Automated Trucks at $412,627.41
• 1 – Champion Sideloader Truck at $335,132.19
• 1 – Galbreath Rolloff Truck at $255,762.89
• 1 – 12 Yd Dump Truck at $168,655.31

More information on the truck purchases can be found here.

Council also approved on first reading an ordinance for the installation of a pedestrian crosswalk between Hendrick Hospital and Memorial Park at the request of the Central Texas Veterans Committee at a cost not to exceed $11,000 funded through a year-end budget amendment. The matter will have to come before the Council again for second and final reading.

Council approved a resolution supporting the City of Brownwood application to the Texas Department of Transportation’s 2025 Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Call for Projects.

In January 2025, the Council approved a professional services agreement with STV to assist the City of Brownwood in applying for the Texas Department of Transportation’s 2025 Transportation Alternatives (TA) Grant.

The City submitted two projects for the initial call for projects. Both projects were approved to advance to the detailed application phase. However, cities may only be awarded one project grant, so the staff and City consultant (STV) recommended submitting the Carnegie-CC Woodson-Opal-Riverside Park scope.

The project includes sidewalks, pedestrian safety, signage, and lighting. The anticipated cost is $4.1M. One of the requirements of the grant is a Resolution from the City of Brownwood. Should the City be awarded the grant, it would be responsible for funding any costs above the grant amount. The City should learn if it has been approved in October.

Passed on the consent agenda were abandoning a 15 foot waterline easement on a property located at 1511 Drisco Drive as outlined in the Declaration of Abandonment of Easement, along with a sales contract amendment for approximately two acres of land in the light industrial park to Central Texas Truck and Trailer to amend the sales price to $15,000.